A Month of Hearts Day 30

 

Shamelessly pinched from this story about iconography in Bethlehem. 

Well, I surprised myself. Wasn't sure I'd have the staying power to fulfill my odd resolution to post 30 images of the Sacred Heart, one for each day of the month dedicated to it. Not even sure why that idea popped into my head, except that a couple of years ago I happened to notice that one of the Sacred Heart's promises to St. Mary Margaret was that he would bless every place where his image is displayed. 

And I thought, "Even the internet?" 

To be honest those promises, like most private devotions, kind of leave me cold. I just want plain, "Gospel" and Eucharistic Jesus.  But that idea caught in my head for whatever reason, and I do love the devotion of entering into Christ's love and like doing my wee bit to spread it.

I chose a mix of traditional and contemporary images in a variety of media and didn't even touch (but for yesterday) some categories, such as images of the heart alone, or textiles (chasubles and altar linens esp.), or -- strange!-- tattoos.  (If you do an internet search for images of the Sacred Heart, a surprising number of tattoos come up. Someone should do an article on why that phenomenon exists).  Posting the image doesn't imply I think it's successful, necessarily. Just interesting for some reason. 

If you've managed to find your way here, I hope you'll scroll around and see the whole month of Sacred Hearts and tell me which one(s) are your faves. Mine, without question, is the Desvalliers with Christ opening his heart from the Cross. 

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine! 

A Month of Hearts, Day 29

 

Image credit:  Anatomical Sacred Heart of Jesus by Monica Skrzypczak, 

shamelessly pinched from artist's website. 

^ Click through to the artist's website to see what she says about the devotion.  Also, here's a prayer to the Sacred Heart from Bl. Miguel Pro, martyr, which I shamelessly pinched from churchpop: 

A Month of Hearts, Day 28

Image credit: shamelessly pinched from Sacred Heart Church Bahrain FB page.

 

A Month of Hearts, Day 27

Image credit: Christ crucified on the Sacred Heart, unknown artist, Mexican 

Shamelessly pinched from Philadelphia Museum of Art 

 

A Month of Hearts, Day 26

 

Image credit: Sacred Heart by sculptor Cristine Duniec, 2019. Photo by her husband, a friend

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine! 

ModernCatholicMom with a reflection on consoling the heart of Jesus. 

A Month of Hearts, Day 25

Image credit:  Statue of Jesus in Vung Tau, Vietnam. 

Photo: Shutterstock

shamelessly pinched from here. 

 

A Month of Hearts, Day 24

 

Image credit: Sacred Heart, Pompeo Batoni, for the Gesu in Rome 

I'd resolved not to show any images like this one, because its effiminacy and saccharine quality irritate me. This is precisely the kind of Sacred Heart image I'm thinking of (well, I know of one that's even worse) when I think of unfortunate renderings of this devotion. But I overruled myself for two reasons: historically this is possibly the most famous Sacred Heart.  And it's slightly less awful seen in its Gesu frame and context (as opposed to in detail on a florid Mass card). 

Alternatively, I'm documenting yet another Jesuit outrage against Holy Mother Church. (I kid, I kid.) 

A Month of Hearts, Day 23

 Image credit: Altar of the Sacred Heart at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican

 mosaic from a painting by Carlo Muccioli 

Interesting history of the art at this altarpiece at the link. 

A Month of Hearts, Day 22

 Image credit: Sacred Heart of Jesus by DanielMitsui

Worth reading what he says about the image at the link! 

A Month of Hearts, Day 21

Image credit: David Garalnik, The Detroit News 

Click the link for the story.  This is outside Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. In 1967, at the outbreak of the riots, three men painted Jesus black, and in an expression of racial harmony the seminary has maintained it so ever since. 
 

A Month of Hearts, Day 20

Image credit:  Sacred Heart being adored by Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart & Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Corrado Mezzana, 1922 

Happy Father's Day!   

I like this post from Fr. Clinton Sensat's FB page.  Today is the beginning of the novena to Ss. Peter & Paul, whose feast is June 29.  Maybe this is a good time to make good on what follows, given that many Catholic politicians have moved to in-your-face defiance regarding their promotion of abortion, etc.: 

As Father's Day nears, I want to ask you all to pray for one very special group of fathers.

I ask you to pray for our bishops.

They are not soulless bureaucrats. They are not spineless politicians. They are not shadowy globalists. They are men. They are priests.

Have they failed, repeatedly, in their tasks? Yes. But so have I. What man hasn't? And their duties are sterner than most.

They are men, and for the most part men of gentle heart and quiet disposition. They are averse to conflict, rightly or wrongly, and now they're being squeezed into a big one.

Let us be clear. Catholics in unrepentant mortal sin MUST NOT receive Jesus in the Eucharist. That is clear in both Scripture and Canon Law. Even more, Catholics in public and flagrant mortal sin must be denied the Eucharist after being warned by those who have their pastoral care.

These two things are not up for a vote. They are not debatable. And they are not political.

Are you the Grand Wizard of the KKK? You must be denied Communion.
Are you pushing to nuke Muslim countries? You must be denied Communion.
Do you publicly and unrepentantly deny Catholic dogmas? You must be denied Communion.
Do you promote homosexual marriage? You must be denied Communion.
Do you enable the slaughter of the unborn? You must be denied Communion.

To this point, rightly or wrongly, the bishops have taken a non-confrontational approach. They would preach the faith, and rely on Catholics who denied that faith to have both the conscience and the common sense to abstain from Communion.

But now they are being publicly challenged on both sides, and I don't think that approach has much of a future.

So please join me in praying for them. They're being squeezed, and hard. They deserve from us something more than our constant criticism, our social media crusading, and our ideological inquisitions. They are our fathers in Christ, and they deserve our prayers.

So on this Father's Day please remember them. You may not like them. You may rage at their faults. But they, too, are truly our fathers. And they deserve our spiritual support. 

A Month of Hearts, Day 19

Personal photo: statue on the grounds of the active parish at Molokai. 

St. Damien was of the order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, so Sacred Heart imagery is everywhere.

A Month of Hearts, Day 18

Image credit: personal photo taken at the family monument at Graceland. 

 

A Month of Hearts, Day 17

 

Image credit: Sacred Heart by Gracie Morbitzer, at her Etsy shop, "The Modern Saints"

A Month of Hearts, Day 16

Image credit: Detail of mural painted by Chloe Becker at Magnificat High School. Photograph by Daniela DiSanto. Shamelessly pinched from an article in America Magazine.

A Month of Hearts, Day 15

 Wish I knew where I originally found this.  Here is one source. 

A Month of Hearts, Day 14

Image credit: Lumko Pastoral Institute

 

A Month of Hearts, Day 13

 In the style of Della Robbia, shamelessly pinched from a friend's FB page. 

A Month of Hearts, Day 12

 Image credit:  The Sacred Heart by Ukrainian artist Oleksa Novakivsky

Shamelessly pinched from J.R.'s Art Place

It's the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and I am persisting in my Sacred Heart/ day challenge. 

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, 2021

 

Image credit: I used to know, but can't find my old link.  Shamelessly pinched from somewhere on the internet. 

Every person needs a “centre” for his own life, a source of truth and goodness to draw from in the daily events, in the different situations and in the toil of daily life. Every one of us, when he/she pauses in silence, needs to feel not only his/her own heartbeat, but deeper still, the beating of a trustworthy presence, perceptible with faith’s senses and yet much more real: the presence of Christ, the heart of the world.

~ BXVI, June 1, 2008 Angelus 

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 9

 

Image credit:  detail of mosaic at San Lorenzo fuori le mura, photo by Lorenzo, OP. 

From St. Claude de la Colombiere, spiritual director to St. Margaret Mary, to whom the Sacred Heart appeared (writing not to her here, but to someone else): 

You think you would be less distracted if you were away from the circumstances in which God has placed you; I think, on the contrary, that you would have fewer distractions if you accepted things with more conformity to God's will....Think more of making good use of your crosses than of getting rid of them under pretext of having more liberty with which to serve God.

The spirit of God inclines us to fervor, but this fervor is calm and causes no trouble either to ourselves or to others; when it meets with obstacles it knows how to stop and submit to God's will. Its only arms are patience and gentleness. You want to be a martyr; you have a daily martyrdom which you endure unwillingly and without resignation! I see nothing reasonable in such a desire and nothing which looks like an inspiration.

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 8

 

Image credit:  Siksika Sacred Heart, Andre Prevost, in collaboration with Chief Romeo Crow

Defending Devotion to the Sacred Heart  

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 7

Image credit:  wish I knew. Just one of those uncredited internet things. 

A homily from Pope Francis on the Sacred Heart and the heart of a priest. 

 

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 6

Image credit:  Sacred Heart of Jesus Among the People, Prosper de Troyer, 1933

I've run this here on the blog previously, but now the link where I originally found it is dead, and I can only find an apparently earlier variation which I don't like as well.  

A reflection on devotion to the Sacred Heart from Bevil Bramwell, OMI:

What are the effects of the wounding of Jesus’ sacred heart? It fired up the apostles and the martyrs to witness to their faith right to the end. It inspired the doctors of the Church with tireless zeal to teach the faith. It drove the “confessors” to develop virtues both for themselves and as an example to others. It motivated virgins “to a free and joyful withdrawal from the pleasures of the senses and to the complete dedication of themselves to the love of their heavenly Spouse.”

The marvelous focus of our adoration on the Sacred Heart shows it to be the source of divine love but also the example of all of the virtues. He is the living presence of our salvation radiating from the heart of the Church, which after all is his Body. (Romans 12:5)

 

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 5 on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

 

Image credit: El Corpus Christi,  Arcadio Mas y Fondevila 

Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament… There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth....

                                ~J.R.R. Tolkien, in a letter to his son P.S. you should really click the link to the image at the Prado. They have a feature that lets you scroll around all the wonderful details. A magnificent painting!

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 4

 

Image Credit:  Sacred Heart by Clotilde Devillers for the Abbey of Saint Madeleine

My True-Love Hath My Heart

My true-love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given.
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss:
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one;
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides:
He loves my heart, for once it was his own;
I cherish his because in me it bides.
His heart his wound received from my sight;
My heart was wounded with his wounded heart;
For as from me on him his hurt did light,
So still, methought, in me his hurt did smart:
Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss,
My true love hath my heart and I have his.

-Sir Philip Sidney

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 3, First Friday

Image Credit: Sacred Heart, Georges Desvallières

Four things the Sacred Heart says without words.

Heart of love (about Desvallieres' work).

 

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 2

 

Image credit: Stefan Jasieński, Polish prisoner, scratched into a wall at Auschwitz. 

From a photo by Wieslav Zielinski. 

As some of you know, I make it a habit to seek out images of the Sacred Heart wherever I am. That one made it to Auschwitz astonishes and heartens me. I just ran across this image for the first time yesterday.  Googling around, I found this lovely homily aimed at seminarians and newly ordained priests about the significance of the Sacred Heart for the priest.  

 

Meek & Humble of Heart, Day 1

Image credit: The Sacred Heart, Maurice Denis, 1916

 

It's Day 1 of the Sacred Heart Novena.  I've given myself the challenge of posting a different image each day of June. I don't know if can swing that, but I will at least do a novena of images. 

Did I post this yesterday? I may have, but am too lazy to check. In any case, it reprises an initiative from two years ago. 

Month of the Sacred Heart

Image Credit: Infinite Amore Jesu, Jose Luis Castrillo 

(scroll around on his site to see variations on the theme)

The Sacred Heart is my favorite devotion. I don't know if I have it in me, but I'm tempted to attempt an image/day challenge for the month of June, in part to honor the most pure and perfect love and in part to prove that this need not be what we think of when we think of the Sacred Heart. 

Also, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart falls on June 11 this year, and the novena starts tomorrow (June 2).  Here's one version.  

And here are some reasons to cultivate a devotion to the Sacred Heart, even if at first it seems to you (as it did to me once) a saccharine piety best left to the 19th century. 

All Loves Excelling. 

Four Things the Sacred Heart Says Without Words.